sharing, on a pilgrims journey

I think it’s true… I’m actually more excited about the presents I was given yesterday and will have to wait a couple of weeks to unwrap (yes, I’m squishing them to guess what they are!), than I will be when I get to open things immediately. They’ll be nice too, but the anticipation is part of the fun of it all.

Perhaps that’s part of what Advent is about – learning to enjoy not being ‘there yet’ (‘are we there yet?’), but learning to enjoy ‘being here now’…

I’ve been thinking this Advent how bad we are (I am!) at enjoying where we’re at – Advent is something in itself – not just ‘how many days is it til’ Christmas now?’.

I think perhaps we miss out when we view one stage as only a necessary ‘hoop to jump through’ to get to the next stage.

I’ve been wondering how I can be more in the Advent spirit – to live in the sense of anticipation, enjoy the deliciousness of feeling hope, enjoy the ‘now’ intrinsically.

Sometimes I’m in a rush to get the next thing, and I wonder if I miss what is in the now. Like children who just can’t wait to be grown-up, single people who just can’t wait to be married, pregnant people who just can’t wait to give birth, students who just can’t wait to graduate…

…it’s good to move on when the time comes and embrace the new stage of life, age, challenge, but all we actually have is now – yes, a time of waiting, preparation, and also, if we allow it to be, and are able to be truly in it, ‘the time of now’.